Egypt: Rafah Border Crossing Closed until Israeli Soldier Freed

[Jerusalem Post]
Khaled Abu Toameh -
The Egyptian government has informed Hamas that it will not reopen the Rafah border crossing until Hamas releases kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, a Hamas official in Gaza said Thursday. A senior Egyptian government official told Hamas leaders earlier this week that even if Cairo agreed to reopen the Rafah border, it would do so only under the terms of the 2005 U.S.-brokered agreement that gave Abbas' security forces exclusive control over the terminal, the Hamas official said. Hamas officials claim the Egyptians are "biased" in favor of Israel and are putting pressure on Hamas to soften its position over Shalit.
2008-08-15 01:00:00Full Article